Mobile applications and Web applications, for instance applications provided through so-called browsers, are becoming more and more interesting to use in various types of user terminals, like cellular phones, lap tops, palm tops, electronic organizers etc.
These browsers typically employ a data communication protocol, like hyper text transfer protocol (http) that uses requests and responses to such requests in order to publish or subscribe to content.
However, the efficiency of the transfer of usable data is often not too high. Often there is a connection up and running between a user terminal and a server despite the amount of new and relevant data transferred being low or even at times non-existing.
Some of the communication could also involve repeatedly transferring the same data.
This is of no major concern if the user terminal has a virtually unlimited energy supply, such as if it is being connected to an electric mains power supply.
However, many of the user terminals are today mobile or movable and then by necessity battery powered. The use of radio circuits for transmission of redundant data or even only to keep a connection open will therefore drain the user terminal on power and thus shorten the usable period of the user terminal. There is thus a waste of energy.
Many user terminals do also employ cellular communication. The cellular communication channels are also a limited resource. This also means that unnecessary bandwidth is occupied without relevant data being transferred, which also reduces the efficiency of the communication network via which the user terminal communicates. This thus also leads to a lowering of the capacity and a waste of energy in the communication network.
There is therefore a need for improving energy consumption in relation to applications in user terminals that employ request and responses based on a computer communication protocol, like http.